Shooting-trap



Patented Mar.2,1920.

M .fr im, R. d a l y WITNESSES 2. Q. JL;

ALEXANDER MCMILLAN, 0F OTISVILLE, NEW YORK.

SHOOTING-TRAP.

Specification of Letters APatent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

Application filed July 26, 1919. Serial No. 313,439.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER McMin- LAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Otisville, in the county of Orange and Stateof New York, have invented a new `and Improved Shooting-Trap, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and eXact description.

This invention relates to improvements in shooting traps, an object ofthe invention being to provide improved means for casting or ejectingpigeons which will release a single pigeon at a time and throw the same`1n any direction desired.

A further object is to provide improved means for supporting a number ofpigeons, improved means for locating one of the pigeons on an ejectorshaft and provide im-- proved means for causing the ejector shaft torevolve and throw the pigeon in the air.

A further. object is to provide improved 'means for aiming or guidingthe discharge of the pigeon in the direction desired'.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, and combinations and arrangements ofparts, as will be more fully hereinafter described and vpointed out inthe claims.

taken just above the forked guide 40.

1 represents a base having a supporting platform 2 connected to the baseby a rotary standard 3. A tilting platform 4 is located above theplatform 2 and said platforms 2 and 4 arev provided with brackets 5 and6 respectively connected by pivots 7 to permit 'the tiltingof platform 4as desired. A

coiled spring 8 holds the platform 4 in normal position and returns itto such position when permitted.

The tilting platform 4. supports a frame 9 in whichan ejector shaft 10is mounted to turn, 'the upper portion of the shaft 10 being angular, asindicated clearly in Fig.

"4. The frame 9 also supports a drive shaft 11 which isconnected by agear train .12 with a pinion 13 on shaft 10. A drive pmion 14 connectedby ratchet and pawl 14 with the shaft 11 is revolved by means of a rack15 carried by a horizontally sliding bar 16, the latter mounted insuitable standards 17 and connected by a link 18 with a hand lever 19 tooperate the same.

bell crank tipping lever 20 is pivotally supported on a standard 20',and its longer member 21 engages the platform 4. The shorter member 22of the tipping lever 2O is adapted to be engaged by a lug 23 on the bar16, so that the longitudinal movement of the bar 16 will cause thetipping action of the platform 4.

The platform 2 is turned on its rotary standard 3 by means of a verticalcrank shaft 24 supported in a suitable bearing 25 and having a crank arm26 thereon connected by a rod 27 with a crank arm 28 on the standard 3so that by turning the shaft 24, the platform can be moved on itsstandard. A crankhandle 24 is secured to the shaft 24 and is adapted tobe manually operated to aim or discharge the pigeons 34 in the directiondesired, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

The platform 2 supports an upright frame 29 having a horizontal arm 30thereon carrying a plug 3l at its free end from which depends a magazinerod 32, the latter pivotally connected, as shown at 33, to allow themagazine rod to be moved to the dotted line position in Fig. 2 forloading. This rod 32 is preferably angular in cross-section', conformingto the shape of the upper end of shaft 10, and may be frictionally orotherwise held in normal vertical position.

The pigeons are illustrated by the reference numeral 34, and it is to beunderstood that a large number of such pigeons may be supported on therod32 and they are made with wings 49 so that kthey resemble a propellerin shape and will readily take the air and sail freely in the air whenrotary motion is imparted thereto by means of the shaft 10.

A pivoted arm 35 having any suitable pivotal connection 37 with abracket 36 on the frame 29 has its lower endlocated in the path ofmovement of a shoulder 41 on frame 9, which is adapted to contact with afinger 42 on the lower end of the arm 35 to cause a supporting finger 39on said arm to move away from the lower end of the rod 32. It is to beunderstood that the finger 39 normally holds the pigeons on the rod 32and will be moved away from such position onlywhen the shaft isy inalinement with the lower end of the rod, this movement being eected byreason of the contact of shoulder 41 with finger 42.

A lever 43 'is pivoted at 44 to an arm 45 on frame 29 and is connectedat its upper end by a link 46 with the pivoted arm 35, the lower end ofthe lever 43 being provided with a spring cushioned contact 47 adaptedto engage the second pigeon from the bottom and hold the column ofpigeons while one is f .being released to fall on to the shaft 10. The

`spring 33 holds the arm 35 in normal position. The shaft 10 is guidedinto position by means of a forked guide 40 secured to frame 29 andlocated below the rod 32. This guide 40 has a stop 48 against which theshaft 10 abuts and limits the pivotal movement of platform 4, and alsotends to stop the rota- "tion of shaft 10 and cause the angular endthereof to properly aline with the rod 32 to receive a pigeon thereon.

The operation is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in the positionshown in Fig. 1, the operator moves the lever 19 to the left, whichmovement brings lug 23 against the shorter member 22 of tipping lever 20causing the longer member 21 thereof'to exert a downward pressure on theplatform 4 causing the shoulder 41 to move against finger Y 42 andbringing the end ofshaft 10 in alinement with rod 32. This contact withnger 42 moves the lower end ofarm 35 to the right, withdrawing theholding linger 39 from below the column of pigeons and at the same time,through the medium o-f part 42,

causes the lower end of lever 43 to move to the left pressing thecontact 47 against the pigeon second from the bottom so that the columnof pigeons will be held on the rod 32 while the lowermost pigeon fallson to the shaft 10. The initial movement of bar 16 to the left bringsthe rack 15 into mesh with the pinion 14, which latter, through themedium of the gear train 12, imparts `a rotary motion to shaft 10 andejects the pigeon thereon before the platform is tilted into loadingposition.

`When the lever 19 is moved to the right,

the spring 8 will return the platform 4 to its normal position andduring such movement of the spring 8, the rack 15 will not cause therevolution of the shaft 10 because of the ratchet and pawl 14a, as aboveexplained.

The direction of flight is controlled by means of the crank shaft 24 androd 27 as above explained, and as the lever 19 and .crank handle 24 arein proximity to each other, the operator can move one with one hand andthe other with the other hand so that he can nicely contro-1 thedischarge of the pigeons in any direction desired.

1 Various vslight changes may be made in the general formand-arrangement of parts describedwithout departing from the invention,and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth butconsider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations asfairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim: Y

1. A shooting trap, comprising a platform havingrotary mounting, atilting platform on the rotary platform, an ejector shaft on the tiltingplatform, a pigeon `magazine rod, means for tilting the pivoted-platform to position the ejector shaft under the magazine rod, meansoperated bythe tilting platform to release a single pigeon from the rodto the shaft, and means for imparting a rotary motion to the ejectorshaft.

2. A shooting trap of the `character described, comprising a rotaryplatform, a

tilting platform on the rotary platform, an

ejector shaft on the tilting platform, a longitudinally movable barhaving a `rack thereon, a pinion on the tiltingplatform engaged by therack, 'a' gear train yon the tilting platform connecting the pinionvwith the ejector shaft, and a tipping lever operated by the bar andadapted to vary the angle vof `the tilting platform.

the tilting platform constituting a driving means for the ejector shaft,a longitudinally movable bar having a rack thereon adapted to engage thepinion, av lug `on the bar adapted to operate the tilting lever, meansfor moving said bar, and means for ,turning the rotary platform.

5. A shooting trap, comprising ya rotary platform, a tilting platform onthe rotary platform, an ejector shaft on the tilting platform, a tiltinglever, a longitudinally movable bar, means on the bar for transmit-`ting rotary motion to the shaft, and other lmeans for operating thetilting lever, a crank ;arm on the rotary mounting of the rotaryplatform, a rod connected to said arm, and separate means for moving thebar and the saidrod.

6. A shooting trap, comprising a tilting platform, an ejector shaft onthe platform,

a depending magazine rodadapted to support a columnof pigeons, a pivotedarm, a

.finger-on said arm normally under the rod iso holding the pigeonsthereon, a member on the pivoted platform adapted to engage the pivotedarm and move the linger from below the rod when the ejector shaft is inalinement therewith, means operated by the pivoted arm engaging thesecond from the bottom of the column of pigeons permitting the bottompigeon only to fall on to the ejector shaft, and means for causing the.revolution of the ejector shaft to discharge the pigeon therefrom.

7. A shooting trap of the character described, comprising a tiltingplatform, an ejector shaft on the platform, a depending magazine rodadapted to support a column of pigeons, a spring held pivoted arm, afinger on the arm normally below the column of pigeons, a member on theplatform adapted to engage said arm to release a pigeon from the rod onto the ejector shaft, and a spring cushioned contact operated by the armto engage one of the column of pigeons and permit only the bottom pigeonto fall on to the ejector shaft.

8. A shooting trap of the character described comprising a tiltingplatform, an ejector shaft on the tilting platform, a depending magazinerod adapted to support a column of pigeons thereon, a forked guideadapted to receive the ejector shaft and guide the same into positionbelow the rod, means moved by the tilting frame to release a singlepigeon on to the ejector shaft, other means operated simultaneously forholdin all b'ut the lowermost pigeon on the rod, an means for impartingrot-ary motion to the shaft to eject the pigeon.

ALEXANDER MCMILLAN.

